In this day and age, life hacks can be gifts from the heavens. Tricks to fast-forward through various chores or duties without compromising are great ways to power through our busy lives. One life hack is a midsize 3-row SUV. This utility vehicle category is swaying many new consumers and their families with their space, safety features and creature comforts.
There’s another important aspect which can be found at or very near the top buyer priorities and that’s value, but without compromise. Kia has long since been a leader when it comes to delivering for one’s hard-earned money and this remains true with the new 2020 Kia Sorento. Many other car manufacturers boast that they do the same but it’s not always the case. Let’s compare the Kia Sorento to the popular 2020 Mazda CX-9 and see what we find.
Occasionally, when building an SUV online, we find that the most affordable version does not include a Canadian-must: AWD. For both the Sorento and the CX-9, this crucial safety element is standard. Now, too often, car manufacturers boast about power but for many consumers, it is far from a necessity. Plenty of motivation is provided by the Sorento’s standard 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine thanks to it 185-horsepower and 6-speed automatic transmission. The fact this mill consumes as little as 9L/100km on the highway is a further bonus.
The 2020 CX-9 also features a 4-cylinder engine however this 2.5-liter unit is turbocharged. On regular fuel, it delivers 227-horsepower and it is also mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. If more power, for towing for example, is a must then you can select a 290-horsepower 3.3-liter V6 and its sophisticate 8-speed automatic transmission for that extra push.
The amount of room provided by both SUVs is nothing short of impressive. Both offer nearly 1,100 liters of trunk space behind the second row of seats and well over 2,000 liters in maximum cargo volume.
Where they truly differ however is in the value proposition. Both include a 7-inch touchscreen display, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto but there’s a huge price difference of many thousands of dollars between the base models. The LX+, over the LX, is still many thousands less than the base CX-9, and includes wireless charging, a heated steering wheel, 10-way power driver seat and loads more.
The list of advantages in the 2020 Kia Sorento’s favour in practically mind-boggling. Come and see for yourself what your money can really get you.
